Chapter 24: Love Brain Mina

Steve said it with ease, but everyone knew just how much courage it took to make such a decision.

Although the "hero saving the beauty" trope is one of the oldest clichés, it's still incredibly effective. After all, no woman can resist a man who is willing to risk his life for hers, especially when she's at her most vulnerable. The shock of that moment often stays with a person forever.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the man must be handsome. If he's not, you might have to repay him in the next life.

"Sister Bird, how's the exploration going over there?" Steve asked, taking the initiative to change the subject. If the conversation continued, it would seem as though he was boasting about his heroics.

Sister Bird frowned, looking up from the map. "We have two options. One is to wait until the tide recedes to see if we can cross the sea. The other is to go through the woods, but we don't know how far it will take."

Steve thought for a moment. "If we want to get there, we'll have to go through the woods. Waiting for the tide to go down and walking along the beach isn't realistic."

Bai Xiaolu looked confused. "Why? Isn't the beach easier to walk on?"

Steve shook his head. "Do you remember what time you went to the beach last night? It was a little after 12 o'clock. That means the low tide at noon today was around 1 o'clock, and the low tide at night will be at around 2 o'clock. The high tide won't come until after 1 o'clock. We'd have to wait at least four or five hours. The low tide lasts only about two hours, so if we can't get through and get stuck in the middle, it could be dangerous. The biggest problem is that we don't know how it'll look once the tide recedes. What if we walk a short distance and can't cross? We'd waste hours."

Bai Xiaolu was taken aback. "Oh, I see. I didn't realize there were so many factors."

Steve smiled and patted Bai Xiaolu's head. "Little kid, you still need to learn more."

"Go away, you disgusting person," Bai Xiaolu rolled her eyes at Steve.

"Mina, can you still walk? If you're tired, you should head back first," Sister Bird asked, her tone filled with concern.

When Mina heard that she was being asked to go back, she subconsciously grabbed Steve's hand. "I'm fine. I can do it," she insisted.

Steve furrowed his brows slightly and took a deep breath.

"I suggest that Chichi, Mina, and Xiaolu head back while Sister Bird and I travel light," Steve proposed.

"I don't want to. I want to stay with you," Mina said, holding Steve's hand tighter.

"Mina, listen to me…"

"Oh! Brother Steve, what happened to your hand?" Bai Xiaolu, who had been watching Mina and Steve with a gossipy look, suddenly noticed a drop of blood dripping from Steve's hand.

The others looked over and saw the blood.

Mina, still holding Steve's hand, lifted it up.

There were two or three small cuts on Steve's hand, each about one centimeter long, and blood was oozing from them.

Mina's eyes widened with concern. "Does it hurt?"

When Mina's fans saw this on the live stream, they were heartbroken.

"It's over. Our Mina has fallen. Just look at the way she's staring at Steve. She's melting."

"I think it's time to cremate him. Give me back Mina, you b*****d."

"Why wasn't I the one who saved the beauty? I can't accept this. I'm so jealous."

"You say that as if you'd even dare to catch the snake in the first place."

"Ah, the most beautiful flower in the entertainment industry has been picked. It was delivered straight to his door."

"Steve's so lucky, right? He's got Yang Xiaohu in front of him and Mina behind him. What a scumbag."

"I'm heartbroken. I'm going to get drunk. My Mina doesn't belong to me anymore."

In the live broadcast room, not only Mina's fans were lamenting, but her agent was also disappointed.

Does this girl not have a brain? I've told her so many times not to fall in love, and if she does, not to make it public. Most of your fans are here because of your looks. If you fall in love, it will hurt your popularity.

If this gets exposed, there's no saving it. All we can do is hope this silly girl doesn't make it too obvious next time. Otherwise, there's nothing we can do.

Steve smiled, trying to downplay it. "It's fine, it doesn't hurt. These little scratches are nothing. I got scraped by an oyster shell while I was holding a stone. It'll heal in no time."

He gave a nonchalant wave and gently pulled his hand away.

Steve could feel the shift in Mina's attitude towards him. It was so obvious that only a fool would fail to notice.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. He assumed it was just a reaction to Mina's emotional fluctuations, which would likely subside soon. It wasn't something to take too seriously.

To change the subject, Steve quickly said, "Forget about me. Let's discuss my suggestion. Let the three of them head back, and Sister Bird and I will continue forward. What do you think?"

Sister Bird paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good plan. A smaller group will move faster. Ideally, I should go ahead alone, and you four should go back." The meaning was clear: the fewer people there were, the faster they could get things done.

Steve knew that, with his current condition, he was more of a hindrance than help, but he still shook his head. "That won't work. If I go alone, there's no one to look out for me. What if something dangerous happens? We'll go as two people. Don't worry, I won't slow you down."

"Alright then," Sister Bird agreed. It was indeed risky to be alone.

The three remaining people exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

Is this his decision? Doesn't he want our opinion?

They realized that, considering the circumstances, it would be better for them to stay behind. If they went along, they would only slow the group down.

Mina, though reluctant, knew this wasn't the time to be selfish. She stood quietly, her silence speaking volumes.

Meanwhile, Steve's group was much luckier. After walking for over an hour, they found themselves on a flat beach.

Even when they needed to take a detour, it was just a patch of grass that was easy to cross.

Along the way, they encountered several coconut trees, replenishing their water supply.

"Hey, look, isn't there a small river over there?" Jarvis pointed ahead, surprised.

They all turned their heads and saw a stream flowing from the woods into the sea.

The water source was right in front of them, and excitement spread across their faces as they rushed toward it.

When they reached the creek, they found that it was indeed a fresh water source.

Since this was the river mouth, many fish had gathered there. As they approached, the fish scattered, rushing back into the sea.

"It's definitely a river, but I'm not sure if the water is fresh or saltwater. It could be seawater coming from the other side of the island," Chris observed as he studied the river.

Upon hearing this, Kevin dropped the machete in his hand and grinned. "What's there to think about? We'll find out when we try it."

He crouched down, cupped his hands, and scooped a handful of water to drink.

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